Pope Siricius and Himerius of Tarragona (385): Provincial Papal Intervention in the Fourth Century

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Pope Siricius and Himerius of Tarragona (385): Provincial Papal Intervention in the Fourth Century Chapter 2 Pope Siricius and Himerius of Tarragona (385): Provincial Papal Intervention in the Fourth Century In 385, Pope Siricius (384–399) sent a letter to Himerius of Tarragona in re- sponse to issues that the bishop of Tarragona had sent to Rome seeking guid- ance on.1 This appeal was originally intended for Pope Damasus, who did not respond due to his untimely death. Although we do not have the letter that Himerius wrote; the detailed response by Siricius allows us to ascertain its con- tent. The pope considered the matter so pressing that he convened a synod in Rome rather than unilaterally responding. The letter has not gone unnoticed in contemporary scholarship for several reasons. One, since it is the first papal “decretal,” it has received considerable attention by scholars of the papacy.2 Secondly, it is the earliest extant letter to Hispania from a bishop of Rome. Therefore, for the history of papal relations with Hispania it is significant, and a number of modern studies have considered its content.3 The questions I consider here are: (1) Does the decretal represent a depar- ture from previous papal letters that were pastoral in their approach to one expressing stern, authoritative, and imposing language? (2) Did Siricius con- demn practices of the Priscillianists in Hispania and Gallia? (3) Was the pope’s decretal intended for the universal Church or only for bishops in Hispania and 1 This paper was presented at the xvi International Congress on Patristic Studies, Oxford Uni- versity, August 8–12, 2011. It was subsequently published in The Bishop of Rome in Late Antiq- uity, Ed. Geoffrey D. Dunn, Surrey, 2015, pp. 73–85. 2 D. Jasper and H. Fuhrmann, Papal Letters in the Early Middle Ages (History of Medieval Canon Law), Washington D.C., 2001. An excellent discussion on what constitutes a decretal is at pp. 11–22. For this letter see, Jaffé, Regesta Pontificum Romanorum, pp. 40–42, at 40. 3 For a prosopographical approach, consult J. Vilella Masana, “La Epístola 1 de Siricio: Estudio Prosopográfico de Himerio de Tarragona,” Augustinianum 44 (2004), 337–69 and, by the same author, “Las primacías eclesiásticas en Hispania durante el siglo iv,” Polis 10 (1998), 269–85, and, “Los concilios eclesiásticos de la Tarraconensis durante el siglo v,” Florentia Iliberritana 13 (2002), 327–44. The most detailed study is the recent monograph by Christian Hornung, Directa ad Decessorem: Ein kirchenhistorisch-philologischer Kommentar zur ersten Dekretale des Siricius von Rom (JbAC Ergänzungsband Kleine Reihe, 8), Münster, 2011. See also his “Die Sprache des Römischen Rechts in Schreiben Römischer Bischöfe des 4. und 5. Jahrhunderts,” Jahrbuch für Antikes Christentum 53 (2010), 20–80 and, by the same author, “Haeres Petri: Kon- tinuität und Wandel in der Bischofsnachfolge des Siricius von Rom,” in Eds. J. Leemans, P. Van Nuffelen, S.W.J. Keough and C. Nicolaye, Episcopal Elections in Late Antiquity (Arbeiten zur Kirchengeschichte, 119), Berlin, 2011, pp. 375–88. © koninklijke brill nv, leiden, ���� | doi:10.1163/97890044�3770_004 <UN> 46 Chapter 2 Gallia? (4) What contributions did the decretal make in the ongoing develop- ment of the “Petrine primacy”? Let us consider briefly a few observations regarding the background of the decretal.4 We have enough information to reconstruct the pontificate of Siri- cius, who succeeded Pope Damasus.5 For example, Siricius was also active in the North African Church, to which he addressed decretals (decretalia).6 In all cases—North Africa, Gallia, and Hispania—he requested promulgation of his letters within each region.7 The decretal to Hispania, therefore, directed at Hi- merius is not singular, it is one of several sent to provinces whose bishops sought papal guidance. Moreover, it was not the first intervention of a pontiff in Hispania. His predecessor, Damasus, for example, was involved in the emerg- ing Priscillianist controversy, although his involvement was measured since the movement was not yet recognized unanimously as a heresy. Before Dama- sus, however, active involvement in Hispania occurred in the pontificate of Pope Stephen i (254–257) after Bishop Basilides was removed by other bishops; the pope intervened and restored Basilides to his episcopal seat. A second pa- pal intervention occurred when the churches of Mérida and Astorga-León ap- pealed to Carthage after Rome had ruled against them.8 In view of this, Siri- cius’s decretal to Himerius was not a novel exercise of papal authority in Hispania, as Ricardo García Villoslada observed, “What is quite clear is that recourse to the center of western Christendom [Rome] was not infrequent in Hispania.”9 What we witness with Siricius is an ongoing recognition in the West of the apostolic authority of the bishop of Rome. The Roman pontiffs seized these opportunities to extend their authority in the Churches of North Africa, Hispania, and Gallia. In the early western Middle Ages, papal authority 4 For the fourth century background in Hispania, see P. Ubric Rabaneda, La Iglesia en la His- pania del siglo v, Granada, 2004, pp. 111–32. 5 Kelly, The Oxford Dictionary of Popes, pp. 35–36. An authoritative study on Damasus is U. Re- utter, Damasus, Bischof von Rom (366–384): Leben und Werk (Studien und Texte zu Antike und Christentum, 55), Tübingen, 2009. A. Hack, “Zur römischen Doppelapostolizität. Überlegun- gen ausgehend von einem Epigramm Papst Damasus’ i (366–384),” Hagiographica 4 (1997), 9–33. 6 See, Kelly, The Oxford Dictionary of Popes, p. 35, Jasper and Fuhrmann, Papal Letters in the Early Middle Ages, pp. 9–10. 7 Kelly, The Oxford Dictionary of Popes, p. 35 8 García Villoslada, Historia de la Iglesia en España: La Iglesia en la España romana y visigoda (siglos 1–viii), pp. 125 and 148, see also, Custodio Vega, “El Primado Romano y la Iglesia Espa- ñola en los Siete Primeros Siglos,” pp. 49–56. 9 García Villoslada, Historia de la Iglesia en España: La Iglesia en la España romana y visigoda (siglos 1–viii), p. 125 and a near full survey can be found in A. Custodio Vega, El Primado Ro- mano y la Iglesia Española which reproduces a series of articles by the author originally pub- lished in the journal La Ciudad de Dios (El Escorial). See note 23 in Chapter 1. <UN>.
Recommended publications
  • Stages of Papal Law
    Journal of the British Academy, 5, 37–59. DOI https://doi.org/10.5871/jba/005.037 Posted 00 March 2017. © The British Academy 2017 Stages of papal law Raleigh Lecture on History read 1 November 2016 DAVID L. D’AVRAY Fellow of the British Academy Abstract: Papal law is known from the late 4th century (Siricius). There was demand for decretals and they were collected in private collections from the 5th century on. Charlemagne’s Admonitio generalis made papal legislation even better known and the Pseudo-Isidorian collections brought genuine decretals also to the wide audience that these partly forged collections reached. The papal reforms from the 11th century on gave rise to a new burst of papal decretals, and collections of them, culminating in the Liber Extra of 1234. The Council of Trent opened a new phase. The ‘Congregation of the Council’, set up to apply Trent’s non-dogmatic decrees, became a new source of papal law. Finally, in 1917, nearly a millennium and a half of papal law was codified by Cardinal Gasparri within two covers. Papal law was to a great extent ‘demand- driven’, which requires explanation. The theory proposed here is that Catholic Christianity was composed of a multitude of subsystems, not planned centrally and each with an evolving life of its own. Subsystems frequently interfered with the life of other subsystems, creating new entanglements. This constantly renewed complexity had the function (though not the purpose) of creating and recreating demand for papal law to sort out the entanglements between subsystems. For various reasons other religious systems have not generated the same demand: because the state plays a ‘papal’ role, or because the units are small, discrete and simple, or thanks to a clear simple blueprint, or because of conservatism combined with a tolerance of some inconsistency.
    [Show full text]
  • The Principal Works of St. Jerome by St
    NPNF2-06. Jerome: The Principal Works of St. Jerome by St. Jerome About NPNF2-06. Jerome: The Principal Works of St. Jerome by St. Jerome Title: NPNF2-06. Jerome: The Principal Works of St. Jerome URL: http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf206.html Author(s): Jerome, St. Schaff, Philip (1819-1893) (Editor) Freemantle, M.A., The Hon. W.H. (Translator) Publisher: Grand Rapids, MI: Christian Classics Ethereal Library Print Basis: New York: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1892 Source: Logos Inc. Rights: Public Domain Status: This volume has been carefully proofread and corrected. CCEL Subjects: All; Proofed; Early Church; LC Call no: BR60 LC Subjects: Christianity Early Christian Literature. Fathers of the Church, etc. NPNF2-06. Jerome: The Principal Works of St. Jerome St. Jerome Table of Contents About This Book. p. ii Title Page.. p. 1 Title Page.. p. 2 Translator©s Preface.. p. 3 Prolegomena to Jerome.. p. 4 Introductory.. p. 4 Contemporary History.. p. 4 Life of Jerome.. p. 10 The Writings of Jerome.. p. 22 Estimate of the Scope and Value of Jerome©s Writings.. p. 26 Character and Influence of Jerome.. p. 32 Chronological Tables of the Life and Times of St. Jerome A.D. 345-420.. p. 33 The Letters of St. Jerome.. p. 40 To Innocent.. p. 40 To Theodosius and the Rest of the Anchorites.. p. 44 To Rufinus the Monk.. p. 44 To Florentius.. p. 48 To Florentius.. p. 49 To Julian, a Deacon of Antioch.. p. 50 To Chromatius, Jovinus, and Eusebius.. p. 51 To Niceas, Sub-Deacon of Aquileia.
    [Show full text]
  • Collectio Avellana and Its Revivals
    The Collectio Avellana and Its Revivals The Collectio Avellana and Its Revivals Edited by Rita Lizzi Testa and Giulia Marconi The Collectio Avellana and Its Revivals Edited by Rita Lizzi Testa and Giulia Marconi This book first published 2019 Cambridge Scholars Publishing Lady Stephenson Library, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE6 2PA, UK British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Copyright © 2019 by Rita Lizzi Testa, Giulia Marconi and contributors All rights for this book reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner. ISBN (10): 1-5275-2150-8 ISBN (13): 978-1-5275-2150-6 TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction ................................................................................................................. viii Rita Lizzi Testa I. The Collectio Avellana and Its Materials Chapter One ............................................................................................................... 2 The Power and the Doctrine from Gelasius to Vigile Guido Clemente Chapter Two............................................................................................................. 13 The Collectio Avellana—Collecting Letters with a Reason? Alexander W.H. Evers Chapter Three .........................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Addressing Conflict in the Fifth Century: Rome and the Wider Church
    _full_journalsubtitle: Journal of Patrology and Critical Hagiography _full_abbrevjournaltitle: SCRI _full_ppubnumber: ISSN 1817-7530 (print version) _full_epubnumber: ISSN 1817-7565 (online version) _full_issue: 1 _full_issuetitle: 0 _full_alt_author_running_head (change var. to _alt_author_rh): 0 _full_alt_articletitle_running_head (change var. to _alt_arttitle_rh): Addressing Conflict in the Fifth Century _full_alt_articletitle_toc: 0 _full_is_advance_article: 0 92 Scrinium 14 (2018) 92-114 Neil www.brill.com/scri Addressing Conflict in the Fifth Century: Rome and the Wider Church Bronwen Neil Macquarie University and University of South Africa [email protected] Abstract In seeking to trace the escalation, avoidance or resolution of conflicts, contemporary social conflict theorists look for incompatible goals, differentials in power, access to social resources, the exercise of control, the expression of dissent, and the strategies employed in responding to disagreements. It is argued here that these concepts are just as applicable to the analysis of historical doctrinal conflicts in Late Antiquity as they are to understanding modern conflicts. In the following, I apply social conflict theory to three conflicts involving the late antique papacy to see what new insights it can proffer. The first is Zosimus's involvement in the dispute over the hierarchy of Gallic bishops at the beginning of the fifth century. The second and longest case-study is Leo I's interven- tion in the Chalcedonian conflict over the natures of Christ. The final brief study is the disputed election of Symmachus at the end of the fifth century. Keywords Christology – Council of Chalcedon – Late antique papacy – Leo I, pope – papal letters – social conflict theory – Symmachus, pope – Zosimus, pope The term “conflict” is usually read as a negative, especially when used in the same phrase as “religious”.
    [Show full text]
  • Jovinian: a Monastic Heretic in Late-Fourth Century Rome
    JOVINIAN: A MONASTIC HERETIC IN LATE-FOURTH CENTURY ROME by NEIL BURNETT B. A. The University of Victoria, 1993. A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS in THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES (Department of Religious Studies) We accept this thesis as conforming to the required standard THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA April 1996 ©Neil Burnett, 1996 In presenting this thesis in partial fulfilment of the requirements for an advanced degree at the University of British Columbia, I agree that the Library shall make it freely available for reference and study. I further agree that permission for extensive copying of this thesis for scholarly purposes may be granted by the head of my department or by his or her representatives, It is understood that copying or publication of this thesis for financial gain shall not be allowed without my written permission. Department The University of British Columbia Vancouver, Canada Date il rffHiU mL DE-6 (2/88) ABSTRACT In 393 the monk Jovinian was condemned by a Roman synod under Pope Siricius. The monk had argued from Scriptural evidence that married women were equal in merit with widows and virgins; that they who had been baptised in fullness of faith could not be overthrown by the devil; that eating meats and drinking wine with thanksgiving was no less meritorious than abstention from these things; and that there was one reward in the kingdom of heaven for all those who had kept their baptismal vow. This paper is a reconstruction of Jovinian's arguments and motives from the evidence of Jerome's Against Jovinian.
    [Show full text]
  • Theological Studies
    The Journal of Theological Studies APRIL, 1813 Downloaded from THE DECRETAL OF DAMASUS.1 I HAVE recently had occasion to examine with closer attention the evidence for the genuineness of some documents the value of http://jts.oxfordjournals.org/ which as authorities I had hitherto been constrained to accept with more confidence than I can now. This has led me to modify some previously expressed views. Inasmuch as more learned men than myself have been my guides in this matter and it is one of considerable importance and interest, I may be allowed to begin this paper with a discussion of it. In the first volume of the Journal of Theological Studies at Columbia University Libraries on February 16, 2015 Mr C. H. Turner published the well-known text of the Decretal attributed to Damasus, who was Pope from 366 to 384, which, if a genuine document, is of prime value in the history of the Latin Canon of the Bible, since it contains a list of the books of the Bible professedly issued by that pope and consequently of very early date. In support of the genuineness and authority of the document he quotes the excellent recent names of A. Thiel, F. Maassen, and T. Zahn. Notwithstanding the gravity of the names I venture to ask for a reconsideration of this judgement. 1 The following pages were in type and corrected for press in October 1911, as the first part of Sir Henry Howorth's third article on ' The influence of St Jerome on the Canon of the Western Church' published in this JOURNAL in that month.
    [Show full text]
  • Preface Celibacy and Tradition
    ". C)v.(U~-r~ 2D (h Iqif'tJ Joseph A. Komonchak Preface Celibacy and Tradition Well into the jourth century, the majority oj Bishops. priests and deacons were married. The author In 1978 the Natipnal Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee traces the beginnings oj the discipline on Priestly Life and Ministry decided to undertake a study of Human of Celibacy and its development to Sexuality and the Ordained Priesthood. This decision was reached in our own day. response to concerns expressed to the Committee and as a service to the bishops and priests of the United States. As an initial step the Committee commissioned six papers to provide the necessary back- ground material for its work. These papers were to consider the posi- There are a few major disagreements among scholars as to the his- tions, analyses and respected opinions on various aspects of the ques- tory of the legislation on clerical celibacy. Well into the fourth cen- tion. Prepared by competent professionals, they proved helpful to the tury, the majority of the clergy (bishops, presbyters, and deacons) Committee and seemed likely to be of interest to a wider audience as were married and exercised their marriages even after ordination. well. The Committee therefore suggested that the authors submit them From early in the fourth century, marriages after ordination were reg- for publication. This was done, with the result that Chicago Studies is ulated and eventually forbidden, and rules were enacted forbidding now making them available in one issue. As presented herein, the pa- the ordination of digamists and of those who had married women pers represent the opinions of the various authors and not necessarily whose virginity could not be presumed.
    [Show full text]
  • THE FALSE DECRETALS NEW YORK AGENTS LONGMANS, GREEN & Co
    Sriiw Q^atnell itnitteraity SItbtarg ..mars.ax^.uik'vte. ""'"""* "*""" BX875.P8'd24 False decretals, by E.H. Davenport. 3 1924 029 363 722 olln Cornell University Library The original of tliis book is in tine Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924029363722 THE FALSE DECRETALS NEW YORK AGENTS LONGMANS, GREEN & Co. FOURTH AVENUE AND 30TH STREET THE FALSE DECRETALS BY E. H. DAVENPORT, B.A. LATE SCHOLAR OF QUEEN's COLLEGE, OXFORD LOTHIAN PRIZEMAN, I9I4 B. H. BLACKWELL, BROAD STREET HCMXVI 5 PREFACE The present thesis has grown out of the Lothian Essay for 1914 on the Pseudo-Isidorian Decretals. The conclusions of that essay remain the same : but the form and * order have been re-cast, and the general arguments have been amplified, and I hope strengthened, after a year's further reading. It will be very clear that the subject has not been exhausted. I have not discussed, for instance, as it was not strictly relevant, the Prankish Church in the ninth century from the economic and doctrinal points of view. Nor have I drawn suflSciently upon the volu- minous erudition of German critics. All this in better days must be done. But, seeing that there is not in English any comprehensive sketch of the Pseudo-Isidorian Decretals, I have thought fit to publish this thesis as it stands. I am much indebted to the Rev. A. J. Carlyle, D.Litt., for the exceeding value of his criticisms before and after going into print.
    [Show full text]
  • The Truth of Papal Claims
    THE TRUTH OF PAPAL CLAIMS 1"1-IE TRUTH OF PAPAL CLAIMS BY RAPHAEL MERRY DEL VAL, D.D. Arckbislwp of Nicata B. 1Replp to 17 SOUTII BROADWAY LO:\DO:;: SANDS & COMPANY fmpr£rnatur lh:RmmT CARlliNAL VAGGILIN .'VdibishotJ o( Westminster CONTENTS PAGK PREFACE IX Correspondence in the (J/mrch Times-The reason of this book ix--xvi INTRODUCTORY - Methods of argument-The point at issue. PART I DOCTRINE OF THE SUPREMACY AYD INFALLIBIUTY - The Supremacy-The Proof from Scripture-S. Peter in relation to the other Apostles-Difference between individual Bishops and individual Apostles-The Catholic Episcopa.te-·Infallibility-What it means a.nd what it does not mean-The Proof from Scrip­ ture-De Maistre The Bishops of Rome-The Founders and the Bishop-The Clementine Romance -The False Decretals . 9-32 PART II THE VENERABLE FATHERS 33 Maldona.tus and Bellarmine-S. Augustine's Retra.eta­ tions-8. John Chrysostom-S. Cyril of Alexandria 33-54 VI CONTENTS PAGK PART III ARGUMENTS AGAINST THE SUPREliACY Ac'<D INFALLIBIMTY 54 '' Y e shall be witnesses unto Me " (Acts I. ll)-The Elec­ tion of S. Matthias-The Institution of Deacons­ "They were sent" (Acts vm. )-The conversion of Cornelius-The Council of Jerusalem--B. Paul re­ bukes S. Peter-The Epistles of 8. Paul-The J<Jpistles of S. Peter 54-80 PART IV THE CoNSTANT BELIEF oF EVERY AGE 81 The Popes not silent in the Early Ages-S. Victor and the Eastern Churehes-8. Stephen and S. Cyprian- The Text of S. Irenaeus - 81-109 PART V COUNCILS OF THE CHURCH 110 Necessity and Utility-The Council of Nicaea--The Sardican Canon-The Second General Council­ The Council of Chalcedon and the Twenty-eighth Canon 110--125 CONCLUSION CATHOLIC ENGLAND 126 The Venerable llede-The Bishops of the Province of Canterbury-The "Branch Theory"-Newman and the Fathers 126-129 APPENDIX INDEX PAGE Introductory 1 The Supremacy 9 Infallibility 17 The Bishops of Rome 23 The Venerable Fathers - 33 Maldonatus 36 Bellarmine 41 S.
    [Show full text]
  • The Early Episcopal Lists Iii
    103 THE EARLY EPISCOPAL LISTS III. THE EVIDENCE OF EUSEBIUS: COMPARISON OF THE CHRONICLE AND THE HISTORY. To the first volume of this JOURNAL I contributed, underthe general heading ' Early Episcopal Lists', two articles, the one an introductory study on Eusebius of Caesarea and his Chronicle, the other a criticism of the list of the bishops of Jerusalem. At that time, seventeen y,ears ago, it was my intention to treat similarly of the lists of Antioch, Alexandria, and Rome. That intention has never been fulfilled, though I made consider­ able preparations for the third article of the series, on the episcopal line of Antioch. Now I am trying to resume the unfulfilled enquiry; but as I have come to feel more and more strongly that the key of the position lies in the Roman succession, I shall propose to say more about that and less about Alexandria and Antioch than I should originally have intended to do. And even at this moment I am only breaking the ground with two preliminary discussions; the fi~st, a comparison of the evidence of Eusebius in his two great works, the Chronicle and the History, for the three lists of Antioch, Alexandria, and Rome ; the second, a conspectus and critical account of the authorities other than Eusebius who have transmitted the list of the Roman succession only. It would be superfluous to repeat here the whole argument of the two articles contributed to the opening numbers of the ]OURNAL: I must be content, for much of the argument and for all the detail, to refer to the articles themselves.1 I will only 1 Some errors or imperfections in the two articles may be briefly corrected here : l(Jan.I9oo)p.183n.
    [Show full text]
  • Celibacy and the Gregorian Reform
    Western Michigan University ScholarWorks at WMU Master's Theses Graduate College 4-1973 Celibacy and the Gregorian Reform Raymond M. Rademacher Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/masters_theses Part of the Medieval Studies Commons Recommended Citation Rademacher, Raymond M., "Celibacy and the Gregorian Reform" (1973). Master's Theses. 2722. https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/masters_theses/2722 This Masters Thesis-Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate College at ScholarWorks at WMU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Master's Theses by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at WMU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. CELIBACY AND THE GREGORIAN REFORM by Raymond M« Rademacher A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of The Graduate College in partial fulfillment of the Degree of Master of Arts Western Michigan University Kalamazoo, Michigan April 1973 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. CELIBACY AND THE GREGORIAN REFORM Raymond M. Rademacher, M.A. Western Michigan University, 1973 Included in the Gregorian Reform of the eleventh century was the clerical discipline of celibacy. Even though celibacy was not a new discipline at that time, Pope Gregory VII vigorously enforced the canons on celibacy. In a matter of such intimacy there was bound to be opposition to the enforcement of these canons. Tradition offered ample support to both parties of the conflict. The long standing tradition of married clergy served as a strong support to those who opposed the Gregorian enforcement. However, the tradi­ tional canons in favor of celibacy gave impetus to the reformers of the eleventh century.
    [Show full text]
  • “Raymond F. Collins' Study of the Practice of Celibacy in Latin
    “Raymond F. Collins’ study of the practice of celibacy in Latin Catholicism is a calm and critical assessment of the data that has generated this tradition. Collins’ skills as a New Testament scholar are well known; his skills as an interpreter of the patristic and early canonical tradition of the Latin Church become evident as this study opens and then unfolds. This clearly written and well-documented study . deserves to become an essential point of reference for all future discussions of this question.” Francis J. Moloney, SDB, AM, FAHA Senior Professorial Fellow Australian Catholic University Melbourne, Australia “Accompanied by a Believing Wife is the definitive work on celibacy and the New Testament, with important implications for the church of our own day. Raymond F. Collins brings decades of experience and learning as a New Testament scholar to this project, and it is evident on every page. His conclusions are often bold and challenging but always supported by careful investigation. With a reputation for exemplary clarity, his writing is highly accessible to scholar, student, clergy, and layperson. Essential reading for all.” Margaret Y. MacDonald Professor St. Francis Xavier University Nova Scotia, Canada Accompanied by a Believing Wife Ministry and Celibacy in the Earliest Christian Communities Raymond F. Collins A Michael Glazier Book LITURGICAL PRESS Collegeville, Minnesota www.litpress.org A Michael Glazier Book published by Liturgical Press Cover design by Jodi Hendrickson. Cover photo: Thinkstock. Unless cited within patristic and canonical writings, all Scripture texts in this work are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition © 1989, 1993, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America.
    [Show full text]